"Dark God."

Facing Moen's persistent questioning, Ann slowly uttered these two words.

"Heh, as expected, huh?"

Moen gave a knowing look, unsurprised. He leaned his head against a rock, gazing at the creature in the distance.

Although this was his first time seeing it in person, Moen had at least read about it in the original book.

Therefore, after a brief moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure.

Dark God.

The source of corruption, the hand of destruction.

The greatest disaster in the original story.

In a way, the Dark God's devastation posed an even greater danger than the demon race currently battling the Empire at the border.

After all, the demon race invaded humanity driven by territorial ambition and hatred, sparking only war.

But the Dark God—chaos, disorder, and death personified—their influence was boundless, corrupting everything. They held supreme power and cast greedy eyes upon the human world.

Throughout history, the three greatest catastrophes that nearly drove humanity to extinction all had the shadow of the Dark God behind them.

And the Demon God spoken of in the prophecy, who will destroy the world, is also one of the Dark Gods.

Thus, due to their malevolent nature and involvement in virtually everything, the Dark God had become the ultimate scapegoat in the original story.

—"If something incomprehensible happens, it must be the Dark God's doing.jpg."

"It's shocking how contaminated it's already become. What the heck is going on? Everything was normal just a while ago." Moen furrowed his brows in confusion.

Hmm...

Disciplining her husband? For someone who's a devout yandere, that seems fairly normal.

"But now's not the time to dwell on this."

Moen sighed softly and stood up.

"We can't let this thing keep developing unchecked. Thankfully, we're in the middle of nowhere. If it migrates to another village, it'll be a disaster."

"Ann, let's hurry back to Belland. There's an institution there specialized in dealing with Dark God contamination. The Life Church won't sit idly by either. They're more professional than we are. Let's go find them."

Moen casually grabbed Ann's arm, attempting to pull her along.

...not budging.

Ann sat there, arms crossed, head down, her expression concealed.

No matter how hard Moen pulled, she remained motionless.

"An?"

"I can't leave."

"Why?"

"Because... I have to bear the responsibility."

"Responsibility? What kind of responsibility? This is Dark God contamination. What does it have to do with you? You're not an Dark God."

"But it does have something to do with me."

Ann lifted her head. Her eyes met Moen's, filled with the helplessness and guilt of a child who had done something wrong.

"It's because of my words. It's because I said those things to Aluka that she became contaminated by the Dark God."

"Huh? Those things... what do you mean?" Moen looked astonished.

"Two days ago, when I went to catch fish for you young master, I encountered Aluka..."

Ann's arms tightened as her palms clenched forcefully.

Her knuckles were faintly white—she was gripping with such force.

But she didn’t seem to notice.

The torment and guilt consuming her had long rendered her numb to physical pain.

With trembling tones, Ann softly recounted her story to Moen.

Two days ago, her first encounter with Aluka, the words she'd shared with Aluka.

Then, her recent reunion with Aluka.

How she'd helplessly watched as Aluka irrevocably transformed into a monster, taking a path from which there was no return.

And Aluka's final words to her:

"Master, you taught me... what love is."

...

"I see."

After hearing Ann's explanation, Moen found it difficult to calm down.

"So you're saying... After hearing your words, Aluka had an epiphany, became a yandere, and then sought the Dark God's power to completely control the person she loved, leading to the contamination?"

"I don't know what she did after we parted, but... possibly."

"So you think this is your responsibility?"

"Yes."

Ann bit her lip and nodded.

This was indeed her fault. If she hadn’t said those words, none of this would’ve happened.

So...

"Ann, snap out of it!"

Moen suddenly yelled, cutting off Ann's contemplation.

He pointed to the massive, grotesque creature that resembled a small mountain and declared:

"Take a good look at that thing! Do you honestly believe something like that can form in two days? The Dark God might be terrifying, but their contamination doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a gradual, long-term build-up before it erupts!

Which means—this can't be entirely because of what you said to Aluka. She must've already had some connection to the Dark God long before!"

"But... at the very least, I was the catalyst for the outbreak, wasn’t I?"

"The outbreak was inevitable! No one could change fundamentally because of a few words from someone else. Aluka became a yandere because she was already inclined to. Even without your words, she would've ended up like this eventually!

Besides, she's beyond saving at this point. Can't you see it? Aluka has lost even her physical body!

What can you possibly do?"

Moen shouted at Ann, his breath heavy with frustration.

He suddenly felt an intense anger.

Why be so stubborn?

Why take responsibility for something that isn't yours to bear?

What, are you going to blame yourself for breathing oxygen if that causes the world to end one trillionth of a second earlier?

Do you have any idea how terrifying the things contaminated by the Dark God are?

Don't you value your own life?

Why fixate on pointless matters like this?

There will be others to handle this, and this isn't your burden!

"She called me 'Master.'"

"Hm?"

"That girl—she called me 'Master.'"

Ann lifted her face and looked at Moen.

With a trembling voice, she suddenly said:

"As her master, how could I possibly turn my back on my disciple?"

Gem-like tears, like beads from a broken thread, continuously slid down her delicate face.

Moen froze.

This was the first time he’d seen Ann like this.

In his memories, Ann always maintained a dignified demeanor and elegant posture.

She flawlessly performed her duties as a personal maid and gave impeccable ninety-degree bows.

Even the distance of her every step while walking was nearly identical.

She was practically the embodiment of the perfect maid. At least in Moen’s recollection, she'd never made a single mistake.

Someone like Ann naturally wouldn’t allow herself to show even the slightest hint of vulnerability.

Yet.

Now.

The girl before Moen.

Curled up, clutching her own arms tightly.

Disheveled hair stuck to her forehead, and her delicate makeup had long been washed away by tears.

Her eyes no longer held the sharp brilliance they once had but instead revealed the panicked helplessness of a child guilty of wrongdoing.

So disheveled.

So heartbreaking.

And yet, deep within her gaze was something uncompromisingly stubborn, like a little girl refusing to budge, staring intently at Moen.

"I have to go there, young master."

...

"Damn it."

Looking at Ann in this state, something in Moen’s heart seemed to be gently plucked.

And suddenly, his anger dissipated.

Then.

As if driven by some invisible force, he said:

"Fine. I'll go with you."